C. Michael Armstrong, Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Johns Hopkins Medicine, toured All Children's on Tuesday, May 14 and summed up his feelings for the hospital in one word.

"Impressive!" he said.

"This is absolutely a world-class facility with a great medical team, procedures and processes," added the Hopkins icon and former corporate executive, following a morning session that included visits to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the Simulation Center. "You're driving state of the art in children's care and pediatrics."

During the afternoon, Armstrong spoke to a roomful of All Children's leaders about the shared mission uniting JHM and ACH to lead the nation in patient quality and safety. He reiterated his praise, calling All Children's "an outstanding part of Hopkins" and remarked that "You have to be very proud of what has taken place here."

All Children's President and Vice Dean Dr. Jonathan Ellen, M.D. introduced Armstrong, saying that his commitment as JHM Chairman of the Board of Trustees and philanthropy have "pushed the level of what is achievable at Johns Hopkins Hospital and within the whole system, with regard to patient safety and quality."

In 2011, seeing the urgent need to reduce preventable harm and improve health care quality, JHM established the Armstrong Institute for Patient Quality and Safety, with the goal of benefitting not only Johns Hopkins patients but patients worldwide. The institute was funded by a $10-million gift by Armstrong, a retired chairman of Comcast, AT&T, Hughes Electronics and IBM World Trade Corporation.

Armstrong explained how his care was affected by a medical error in the early 1990s, and how that influenced his personal journey and desire to make a difference in patient safety and quality. In addition to funding his institute, Armstrong and his wife gave $20-million to create the Anne and Mike Armstrong Medical Education Building that opened in 2009 - the centerpiece of a ground-breaking new medical school curriculum.

Armstrong also heard presentations by two ACH physicians, Joseph Perno, M.D. on "Medicine Quality of Care" and Dr. Paul Danielson, M.D. on "Surgical Quality Improvement: Fast Track Appendectomies." He expressed enthusiasm during his visit about the collaborative efforts of the two institutions.

"It's obvious to me having visited here today, that that we can learn together," he said. "I hope the discourse and interaction between All Children's and Johns Hopkins continues. I've seen some things today and will be taking stories back to Baltimore."